Welcome to Friday – the 6th Day in the Octave of Easter. It is also the Feast Day of Saint Mark. What a holy day indeed!
Like so many of Christ’s Chosen, little is known with certainty about the life of Saint Mark. Yet his gospel, the shortest of the four, is filled with vivid accounts and information. There is a reason Saint Mark gives us, the non-Jewish Christians, so much information.
Most scholars are in agreement, the Gospel of Mark was likely written with the Roman Gentiles in mind. It is why he so often describes Jewish customs to the reader who might not otherwise understand the context and setting. Saint Mark’s recounts of Christ’s public ministry is concise to say the least.
According to later traditions within the Church, it is believed Saint Mark was ordained as a bishop. He was sent to Alexandria, Egypt where he preached his Gospel and established the first Church in Africa. It was in Alexandria that Saint Mark encountered the wrath of people who turned against him after almost twenty years of ministering to them. Later Saint Bede wrote of Mark’s death this way:
Afterwards, being arrested for the faith, he was bound, dragged over stones and endured great afflictions. Finally he was confined to prison, where, being comforted by the visit of an angel, and even by an apparition of our Lord himself, he was called to the heavenly kingdom in the eighth year of the reign of Nero.
“You will be hated by all because of my name. But whoever endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22
There is no doubt that Saint Mark endured to the very end. Long before Saint Mark sat at the feet of Jesus, long before he answered the call to preach the Good News in Africa, his work was foretold. In the Book of Ezekiel, the prophet had a vision of four living creatures, each with a human face. One an ox, one an eagle, one an angel or winged man and one a lion. It is understood that the four evangelists in the vision were Luke, John, Matthew and Mark. For this reason the image of a lion is often associated with Saint Mark.
On the Feast Day of Saint Mark, Catholics often reach out to him for assistance in their own lives.
Saint Mark, I thank you for your “Yes” to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thank you for your ministry and especially for your Gospel account. Please pray for me, that I may never tire of turning back to the mission that God has entrusted to me. May I imitate your fidelity and hard work for Christ, going so far as to lay my life down for others. Saint Mark, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
While today falls on a Friday, because this is the Friday within the Octave of Easter, the usual restrictions of fasting and abstinance are set aside. This means we can enjoy the forbidden pleasures of Louisiana Hot Links dispite the fact that it’s Friday. I’ve been craving these sausages for a long while now. I think the last time Hubby and I had Louisiana Hot Links was during a visit to the Oakland Zoo. That was pre-pandemic, so it really has been a while. Enjoy and be blessed on this the 6th Day of Easter.
Biscuit-Wrapped Louisiana Hot Links
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 (8-count) Southern Style Biscuit dough
4 Louisiana Hot Link Sausages
Spicy Brown Mustard as desired
Ketchup as desired
Heat oven to 325-degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; spray with cooking spray and set aside.
Cut onion from root to tip. Reserve half for another purpose, peel and thinly slice remaining half. In a dry skillet over medium heat grill onions until browned. Set aside.
Open dough and break into 8 biscuits. Working with 2 biscuits at a time lay dough on a work surface with dough slightly overlapping. Pinch together to at the seam create one oblong biscuit. Roll out to flatten a single oblong biscuit just slightly shorter than the sausage link. Place sausage link in the center, press down to create an indentation. Scatter a quarter of the grilled onion into the indentation in the biscuit dough, pressing down lightly.
Place hot link at one long end of the dough. Roll link tightly in the dough, pinching seam to seal. Place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
Place Biscuit Wrapped Hot Links in the oven to bake for 10 minutes; rotate a quarter turn and continue to bake another 5 minutes. Rotate a third time, bake another 5 minutes or until heated through and the biscuit shell is nicely browned on all sides.
Serve with mustard or ketchup in small bowls for dipping. Great with baked beans such as Bourbon Jalapeño or similar spicy bean. Enjoy.
The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
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